drumroll please...

We have a winner! As promised, Dhari picked the winner from a bowl of entries.

Normal people use a random number generator, but as this was such an intimate gathering, it just seemed right. (Thanks for the idea, Bernadette!) And it meant I got to use my new pretty paper. Plus, it makes for much cuter pictures. Especially since the pretty paper matches Dhari's pyjamas.

All right, all right, this is clearly not the information you're looking for. Without further ado...the winner of the babybandito May giveaway is Jel, who said, "If I win this fabulous giveaway, I plan to get the turquoise and green dragonfly barrette, green and yellow flower barrette and the two pairs of sweetheart hairclips from babybandito.etsy.com with my gift card."

Congratulations, Jel - those felt barrettes are my absolute favourites.

Everyone else, thanks for joining in on the fun, and I'm pleased to have seen some new faces around here! (ahem, not that the old faces are, you know...it's just...I mean...oh dear, I've only gone and put my foot in it again. Bah!)

I'm planning a "babybandito's second birthday party" giveaway for August, so make sure you get in on that too. Why the May Giveaway? Because I bloody well felt like it. Heh.

anatomy of a bandito

I apologise for the weirdness of this post. It's been hanging out in my unfinished posts list for far too long. So I completed it whilst watching The Inbetweeners this evening. You can't write a sensible blog with all the crude jokes and general ridiculousness going on.

1. I cut a big triangle of PUL 1ml fabric and an amputated triangle of organic bamboo/cotton fleece, then stitch them together.

2. This bib was a custom request, so I sourced a black and white classic bandana, then dyed it with Dylon Bahama Blue, the closest thing to teal they had.  

Unfortunately, it turned out way too blue and not teal at all. I suppose if I was really smart I would have thrown a bit of green in with it?

3. Then I pin the decorative cotton (very blue) triangle to the PUL and fleece triangle and stitch all the way around, leaving a few inches open so I can turn it right side out. The fabric should be stacked in this order: fleece on top, PUL in the middle (shiny side up! Otherwise the machine doesn't like it) and decorative fabric on the bottom, right side up.

4. And the label goes in here! Just like this!

5. I learned something extra clever from Bernadette. To make extra sharp corners, you make one diagonal stitch before turning the rest of your corner. It works. Really.

6. Here is the moment of truth. Next I turn my project inside out (or right side out, depending on how pedantic you want to get). 

7. It should look like this. Phew!

8. Then I press it flat and topstitch all the way around the edges for a neat, tidy look. Sometimes I use contrasting thread, but not today.

9.  Tie a snug knot in the corners. 

10. But not at that third corner at the bottom, obviously.

11. Step 11 is the Loud Step. I pick out a coordinating pearl snap button and hammer it into the bib, next to the cute little knots. I can't do this while Dhari's taking a nap, because it's the Loud Step. 

12. All done! After admiring my handiwork, I run around back and snap a bunch of photos. Dhari is awake now, so he's probably sitting under the dining table (my workspace) hammering something, because I have forgotten to put the hammer away.